Summer reads

For the beach or in bed, a sampling of this season’s queer-interest books

It doesn’t take x-ray vision to read The Superhero Book by Gina Misiroglu. Filled with color pictures of comic book covers, this collection will lay to rest the age-old question: If Superman and Batman had a duel, would Iron Man step in and kick tail?

If you’ve always loved a good mystery, why not check out From Crime Scene to Courtroom by Cyril H. Wecht and Dawna Kaufmann, a real-life crime book about real-life cases that have made the news. Wecht is one of the world’s foremost forensic experts, and this book delves into the Casey Anthony case, Michael Jackson’s death and others. Whodunit? You might find out here.

If you’re up for a good gay mystery, The Second You Sin by Scott Sherman fits the bill. It features a handsome full-time hustler who sleuths on the side, a series of murders that he needs to stop and a few roadblocks in his way to doing so. Bookmarks? Won’t need one for this pageturner.

So you say you’re obsessed by teeth and fashion … but not necessarily in that order? Look for Fangs and Stilettos by Anthony DiFiore. You’ll never again wonder why there are plunging necklines or if silk is an otherworldly fabric.

For biography junkies, Every Step You Take is by Jock Soto, principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. He tells how a Puerto Rican-Navajo gay boy survived his childhood to become a premiere dancer. He also writes about his career, his loves and his newest adventure. If you love dance, leap for this one.

Here’s another book about dance, but with a twist: LeFreak by Nile Rodgers. This is the story of Rodgers’ life as a songwriter and producer of an awful lot of songs and dance-friendly pop hits you’ll surely remember from the 1970s and ‘80s. Love to read dirt on the stars? You’ll want this one — stars absolutely fill it.

If you can’t get enough about the furry love of your life, then look for Dogs Make Us Human by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Art Wolfe. Filled with pictures and a narrative about our four-footed best friends, this book will put the wag in any dog lover’s tail. Another doggy book, Your Dog is Your Mirror by Kevin Behan, will help you understand Poochie in a whole new way. And How the Dog Became the Dog by Mark Derr looks at the evolution from predator to pampered, from ancient canine to couch potato, and how the breeds developed. It’s a science geek’s delight and a dog lover’s dream.

Do you often think that your dog (or cat) knows more than you think he knows? Prove it by reading Guardians of Being, words by Eckhart Tolle, art by Patrick McDonnell. This book — part cartoon strip, part philosophy — will make you want to smile, think and hug the Furry One even harder.

With baseball season in full swing, sports fans should look for Trading Manny by Jim Gullo, the story of a father and son and how baseball disappointed them before rediscovering their love of the game. Summer of ‘68 by Tim Wendel is the story of one baseball season and the players that made it fantastic, even as the world seemed to be falling apart around the field.

A good convo-starter is What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? by The Buried Life (Jonnie Penn, Dave Lingwood, Duncan Penn & Ben Nemtin), a bucket-list book filled with pictures and ideas from others who’ve dreamed about life’s can’t-misses. Happy reading!